Gluten Free Ding Dong Cakes

I've got another delicious classic recreated for you - gluten free of course. These Gluten Free Ding Dong Cupcakes will remind you of your childhood favorite, and are simple to make. Creating a ding dong cupcake may seem intimidating, but they really aren't that difficult to make.

What is a Ding Dong Cupcake?

If you've never had a Ding Dong cake, they are chocolate cakes filled with a marshmallow creamy filling. Traditional ones that you can buy are made by Hostess cupcakes at the store, but these homemade Ding Dongs are better than those, plus they're gluten free!

Gluten free ding dongs are not only delicious, but they are also nostalgic. For many of us, they bring back memories of childhood and simple times. Whether we ate them for breakfast or as an after-school snack, ding dongs were always a treat.

Just like the original ding dongs, gluten free ding dongs are perfect for any occasion. So whether you're planning a party or just looking for a delicious snack, don't forget the gluten free ding dongs!

Why You'll Love This

• Super simple to make
• Versatile - perfect for snacks and desserts
• Fancy enough to serve at parties, but simple enough for a weeknight dessert
• Fun way to get the kids involved in baking in the kitchen
• This delicious recipe goes perfectly with a cup of hot coffee

Ingredients Needed

Get more info in the recipe card.

FOR THE CAKES

• softened butter
• eggs
• sour cream
• oil
• sugar
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend
• baking Powder
• salt

FOR THE FILLING AND GANACHE

• marshmallow cream
• semisweet chocolate
• heavy cream

HOW TO MAKE DING DONG CUPCAKES

Are ding dongs a cupcake or a cake? They are one of those things that sort of is in-between as an individual style treat. No matter, there are three main components to making Ding Dong cupcakes:

• Chocolate cupcakes
• Marshmallow cream
• Chocolate ganache

Then there are a few things that make these gluten free ding dongs a bit different than a regular cupcake. First is the fact that they are filled with marshmallow cream. If you've never made filled cupcakes before don't worry, it couldn't be easier.

Make the Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease or line a cupcake pan.
2. In a stand mixer, or large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, eggs, sour cream, oil, and white sugar.
3. In a separate medium bowl combine the dry ingredients.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer to med-high and whip together. The batter will be very thick.
5. Fill cupcake pans to ¾ of the way full and smooth out the tops with a spoon.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before moving to the next step.

Make the Creamy Marshmallow Filling

1. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, remove them from the pan or paper liner. Using a small pairing knife, cut out a small hole on the bottom and hollow out a portion of the inside. KEEP the cake pieces you remove, you will need them in a minute.
2. Spoon or pipe marshmallow cream into the holes, taking care not to over fill them.
3. Mash the removed cake pieces (they should be moist enough to form a dough) into a circle that will cover the hole on the bottom of your cake, covering the cream. This doesn't need to be pretty, you are covering everything with chocolate soon.

Adding the filling

1. The trick is making sure the cupcakes are completely cool, and I do mean completely cool. Remove the cupcake liners, and you can use a small paring knife to cut a hole in the bottom and hollow out a bit of the inside.
2. KEEP the cake pieces you remove, you will need them in a minute.

This Ding Dong cake recipe makes a nice moist cake and made cutting out some of the centers a breeze. It also allowed me to use the crumbs to cover the filling so it wouldn't try to fall out.

Just make sure not to over fill it with cream or it will ooze out and make frosting it difficult. Don't worry if it looks pretty at this stage, you'll be covering it with chocolate next.

Add the Ganache

I used a basic ganache, so they aren't going to set up like the traditional Ding Dong chocolate coating, but that was a detail I didn't mind losing. In fact, I think I like them better this way, they are just even more fun to eat.

Alternatively, you can use this simple ganache recipe that will harden. It is totally up to you and what you enjoy the most!

1. Place the heavy cream in a microwaveable bowl and heat on high for 1 minute. Whisk in chocolate chips and let them melt together to form the ganache.
2. Spoon the chocolate ganache over your filled cakes, using the spoon to work the chocolate around the cakes completely.
3. Allow the ganache to set up slightly (or put into the freezer for 15-20 minutes) before serving this ding dong recipe.

Storage

These won't last long. With the perishable ingredients, I recommend storing the gluten free cupcakes in an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Additionally, you can wrap them in plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator.

Try not to layer your cupcakes or you'll mess up the ganache on top.

Tips and Recipe Variations

• I like to use a piping bag to add the cream filling. It's a lot less messy that way and I know I can easily control how much gets put in each cupcake.
• It's crucial to ensure that your cupcakes are room temperature before even messing with them.
• If you have a different favorite chocolate cake recipe that you can use for cupcakes, feel free to use that.
• You want the marshmallow filling to be nice and thick so it doesn't absorb into the cupcake.
• While this wouldn't be a copycat recipe alteration, you could make a marshmallow cream and peanut butter filling to use inside for a fun change on the flavor profile.
• If you want the curly design on the top, you can add some of the marshmallow filling to a pastry bag or piping bag and pipe some out on top. Or you can use a frosting to do the same thing on top of the cake.
• If you don't want to use the ganache, you can use chocolate frosting or a dark chocolate frosting.
• Be sure to let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack so they're easy to work with.

I hope you love these Ding Dong Cakes as much as I do! They really are a childhood classic recreated gluten free, and made with simple and delicious ingredients.

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